TV, Film & Media Industry International News Roundup, Friday 4 October 2024
Paramount lawsuit, bold risks in TV, shorter seasons, AI’s impact, Black filmmakers shine, RJ Mitte's holiday film, ski doc at Zurich, Star Wars struggles, creative shifts, gripping Bataclan drama.
Today’s Highlights:
Paramount Faces Lawsuit Over Mass Layoffs—Paramount is being sued for violating the WARN Act by conducting abrupt layoffs without proper notice.
Lies and Loss: Une Amie Dévouée (The Confidante) – The first French original series on Max, exploring a woman's false claim about a friend's Bataclan injury.
UTA Calls for Creative Risks – UTA executives urge networks to embrace bolder artistic visions and take more risks in content creation.
Broadcast TV's Shift from Longer Seasons – Rising costs and smaller audiences are making long seasons unsustainable, with a focus on shorter formats.
Warner Bros Discovery's Black Britain Unspoken Short Films – A talent program showcasing three new short films by underrepresented Black British filmmakers.
Zurich Film Festival's Aiming High: Matterhorn Ski Race – Documentary on the challenges of launching the first transnational ski race at the Matterhorn.
Evan Shapiro on Media's User-Centric Shift – Discussion on how passionate communities will drive success in the future, not mass audiences.
RJ Mitte Stars in Carol of the Bells – A holiday film featuring a predominantly developmentally disabled crew, with global distribution by GRB Media Ranch.
Brady Corbet's The Brutalist Gaining Oscar Buzz is a historical epic about an architect who reflects on Hollywood's balance between art and commerce.
AI Video's Impact on Hollywood Jobs – Discussion on how AI will reshape job creation and displacement in the film industry.
Plus: News, Insights, Executive Moves, Festivals & Markets, In Development, Deals, Renewals, Opportunities and Jobs with Sky, Amazon, Channel 4, BBC, Endeavor, WBD, Disney, AMC, PBS, Legendary, WME, MrBeast, Netflix & Endemol Shine.
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NEWS
Paramount Faces Lawsuit Over Mass Layoffs Without Notice
Paramount is facing a lawsuit for allegedly conducting mass layoffs without providing sufficient notice to employees, violating the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. The suit claims that hundreds of workers were laid off abruptly due to the company's restructuring efforts. Paramount has yet to respond to the allegations, and the case could have significant implications for the company's ongoing cost-cutting measures. Read More.
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INSIGHTS
Lies and Loss: A Deep Dive into a Gripping Drama
Director Just Philippot's Une Amie Dévouée (The Confidante) is the first French original series on Max, exploring the aftermath of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Starring Laure Calamy as Chris, a woman falsely claiming her friend was injured at the Bataclan, the series reveals her deep involvement with survivors. Based on the book La Mythomane du Bataclan, it premieres on October 11. Read More.
Buoyed by ‘Baby Reindeer’ & ‘Hacks’, UTA TV Lit Chiefs Urge Buyers to Take More Risks Amid “Healthier” Market and New Pay Models
Earlier this month, UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer emphasised the need for more daring creativity in TV and film, stating the industry had become “a bit repetitive.” This echoed Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd’s Emmy speech, where he credited the show’s success to taking risks and exploring the uncomfortable. UTA TV lit heads Allan Haldeman and Dan Erlij also stressed the importance of giving creators freedom, urging networks and streamers to support bold artistic visions. Read More.
Broadcast TV Executive Discusses Potential Return of Longer Seasons
A broadcast network executive believes that the return of longer TV seasons is unlikely, despite nostalgia for 23-episode formats. While longer seasons supported world-building and stable jobs for industry workers, the executive stated that the current model is unsustainable. With rising production costs and shrinking audiences, networks will continue cutting budgets, producing shorter 13-episode seasons, smaller casts, and cheaper productions. The future will focus on co-productions, unscripted content, and monetisable shows, signalling more fundamental shifts in the industry. Read More.
Discovery Showcases Black Britain in Short Film Series with Unspoken Creatives
Warner Bros Discovery’s Black Britain Unspoken (BBU) talent development program has released three new short films on Discovery+ and YouTube: Dancing on Road by Lauren Gee, Mandem by Joladé Olusanya, and Lloyd the Instructor by Donell Atkinson-Johnson. Launched in 2022 in partnership with WBD’s multicultural alliance, BBU aims to support under-represented Black British filmmakers, offering them pitch-to-production experience as part of their industry breakthrough efforts. Read More.
Aiming High: Zurich Film Festival’s Journey to Ski Matterhorn
In Aiming High – A Race Against the Limits, directors Flavio Gerber and Alun Meyerhans document the effort to launch the Matterhorn Cervino Speed Opening, the world’s first transnational, high-altitude ski race. The film, premiering at the Zurich Film Festival, follows organisers and athletes over two years as they work to debut the event in 2022, where racers speed from the Matterhorn glacier in Zermatt to Cervinia, Italy, facing numerous challenges along the way. Read More.
Evan Shapiro Advises Creators to Find Their Own Audience, Ignoring Netflix’s Approach
At the Iberseries & Platinum Industry conference in Madrid, Emmy- and Peabody-winning producer Evan Shapiro discussed the shift to a user-centric media era following Disney’s 2019 move to direct-to-consumer. Shapiro emphasised that while content remains vital, data now drives success. He urged independent producers to focus on building communities and engaging younger audiences through platforms like TikTok, warning that reliance on traditional gatekeepers like Netflix will be less profitable in the coming decade. Passionate communities, not mass audiences, will be critical to future success. Read More.
Star Wars and Disney: Analysing Ratings and Box Office Performance
Disney's Star Wars legacy, from The Force Awakens to The Acolyte, reveals some shaky aspects: a five-film franchise halted after declining box office returns, only one of six live-action TV shows achieving multi-season success, and numerous projects abandoned mid-development. Additionally, the ambitious Star Wars hotel closed after just over a year. This raises the question: Is Disney struggling with Star Wars, or is the high bar for success and fan expectations obscuring what remains a lucrative franchise? Read More.
RJ Mitte Stars in Uplifting Holiday Film 'Carol of the Bells'
Directed by Joey Travolta, Carol of the Bells is a heartfelt film that blends a holiday theme with a powerful family story. Starring Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte, it follows a young man seeking his biological mother, only to learn she is developmentally disabled. Produced by Inclusion Films in partnership with Futures Explored and Options for All, the project had 70% of its crew comprised of individuals with developmental disabilities. GRB Media Ranch is handling its global distribution. Read More.
Sarah Paulson Discusses New Hulu Film and Return to Shakespeare
For Sarah Paulson, starring in Hold Your Breath was a liberating experience. In the horror-thriller, Paulson plays a woman in the 1930s Dust Bowl who is convinced her children are threatened by an unseen monster called the Gray Man. The American Horror Story star also makes her executive producer debut with the film, co-directed by Will Joines and Karrie Crouse. Crouse's script, developed through the Sundance Writers' Lab, was originally titled Dust and announced in 2022. Read More.
Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist: A Three-Hour Historical Epic Gaining Oscar Buzz
Writer-director Brady Corbet likens filmmaking to constructing a skyscraper, highlighting the vast infrastructure, compromises, and numerous collaborators involved. His new film, The Brutalist, is a tale about architects and an allegory of Hollywood. The story follows Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who, after surviving Buchenwald, is hired by industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) to build a modern community centre. Despite personal sacrifices, Tóth’s struggle to stay true to his vision reflects Corbet's views on the balance between art and commerce. Read More.
Addressing Toxic Fandom in Hollywood: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Bridgerton
On August 28, The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg shared a video addressing Lucasfilm's decision not to renew the Star Wars series for a second season, just a month after its Season 1 finale on Disney+. Stenberg was unsurprised, citing the backlash the show faced since its 2020 announcement, marked by "hyper-conservative bigotry." The Acolyte became the latest target of "toxic fandom," where fan criticism escalates into aggressive, often bigoted online campaigns—a growing challenge for studios dependent on franchise loyalty to sustain their business. Read More.
Branded Entertainment Shifts: Cooking, Travel, and Gardening Shows on YouTube
British supermarket Marks & Spencer (M&S) has ventured into unscripted TV, funding shows like Cooking with the Stars and M&S: Dress the Nation as part of a growing trend in branded entertainment. These shows, aired on ITV, feature heavy product integration, with M&S promoting its offerings alongside the programs. As brands increasingly fund mid-budget, non-scripted content, the British TV industry embraces collaboration, but challenges remain as production companies and brands adjust to this evolving partnership dynamic. Read More.
Amazon Prime Video Expands Advertising to 2025
Earlier this year, Amazon’s Prime Video introduced ads for all users, offering an ad-free option for a small fee, though few opted for it. This move made Prime the largest ad-supported subscription streaming service globally, securing over $1.8 billion in upfront ad commitments. Looking ahead to 2025, Amazon plans to expand its ad inventory, potentially adding more slots or new marketing formats while keeping the overall ad load relatively light, according to Amazon executive Kelly Day. Read More.
What Paramount’s Latest Layoffs Mean for the Future
Paramount Global’s recent reorganisation, marked by significant layoffs, especially within Paramount+’s content strategy team, signals a shift in focus. While Paramount+ and Pluto TV haven't shown growth to justify further investment, Paramount’s content continues to thrive on other platforms like Netflix and CBS. Paramount seems to be pulling back from emphasising its streaming platforms, instead opting for broader content distribution across various channels, prioritising cash flow over platform exclusivity. Read More.
How AI video generation impacts Hollywood | BBC News
Demi Guo, CEO of Pika Labs and PJ Accetturo, CEO of FilmPort AI, joined this week’s AI Decoded to explore the impact of AI on the film industry in terms of job displacement and creation.
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